'We're heading in the right direction': Flint appears to be turning the corner on its massive water crisis

The end of Flint, Michigan's water crisis may be in sight,
according to an expert involved in testing the
city's water supply,
the Detroit Free Press reports.

Marc Edwards, an expert on lead exposure, said that his research
shows that levels of the toxic element in the drinking water have
decreased by more than 50% and as much as 80%, based on a
sampling of more than 160 homes.

Edwards added that properly filtered water was comparable in
quality to bottled water or better.

"All of the indicators are that we're heading in the right
direction," Edwards said at news conference on
Thursday.

Officials remain cautious despite the new findings. Edwards
emphasized that the city must also make massive infrastructure
investments and cautioned that lead levels could rise as
equipment is replaced, the report said.

"While science seems to show things are improving, Edwards
stressed that the quality of the water in Flint still isn't good
enough and it is not safe to drink," Flint Mayor Karen
Weaver said in a statement.

The Flint water crisis garnered national attention in last
year after the city began drawing corrosive water from the
Flint River. That water had not been treated with chemicals
designed to minimize corrosion, which caused lead from
the city's aging pipes to contaminate the water supply.

According to a Reuters report, an estimated 8,000
children are believed to have been exposed to lead poisoning
after the disaster that placed Flint under a federal
state of emergency.